Jan. 31, 2004

Box Score |  Quotes |  Photo Gallery

Winston-Salem, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Rams earned a big win on Saturday evening as they defeated the Eagles of North Carolina Central University 75-68 in front of 6,455 fans at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum Complex and broke a three-game losing streak in the process.

The Rams and Eagles combined for ten lead changes, and ten ties in a game whose outcome was in doubt until the final moments. However, it was the Rams who would ultimately pull ahead for good, hitting clutch free throws in the game's final minute and a half to secure the all-important CIAA Western Division victory.

The first half of play saw the two teams light up the scoreboard and shoot surprisingly well from the floor. WSSU would connect on 14 of 30 shots in the first twenty minutes (46.7%) while the Eagles did only percentage points better, hitting 14 of 29 shots in the first period (48.3%). Free throws would be the first half difference as the Rams hit 5 of 7 shots from the charity stripe, three more than the Eagles, and would take a two-point advantage into the locker room leading 37-35.

The second half of play was much the same as the first as the two teams continued the up-tempo style of play and traded baskets, blocked shots and turnovers. The Eagles, usually a stellar three-point shooting team went cold in the games second 20 minutes, missing 11 of 17 attempts from deep and falling victim to a Rams' transition game that recorded nine points off of turnovers in the half.

The Rams, despite being outsized by nearly five inches at every position, lost the battle on the boards by only one rebound (33 to 32) and used a solid transition game to take the lead for good.

Leading the way for WSSU was five-time CIAA Rookie of the Week Audly Wehner (Fr./F/6'5"/Fayetteville, NC) with 26 points on 8 for 14 shooting (10 for 13 from the free throw line) as well as pulling down 5 rebounds.

Pacing the Eagles was David Young who tallied 24 points in a losing effort.

With the win, the Rams improve to 14-7 overall (5-6 CIAA, 2-3 Western Division) while the Eagles fall to 9-8 overall (4-3 CIAA) and suffer their first Western Division loss (4-1).

The Rams return to action on February 3rd as they travel to Raleigh, NC to take on the St. Augustine's College Falcons, a team that handed the Rams a loss on January 6th in Winston-Salem.